Minor traction cities and towns
This is a list of known traction cities/settlements which are mentioned in the Mortal Engines Quartet, The Traction Codex or The Illustrated World of Mortal Engines but do not appear prominently enough in the plot to merit their own article. Cities A-D Bamako A notorious African city, infamous for its piratical tenancies and attacking the last northern forts of the Zagwan empire. The city was immobilised when Madzimoyo Khora attacked the city against orders, using the gunship Mokele-Mbembe to cripple the predator's tracks and engine district. Benghazi A nine-tiered Traction City that roamed the deserts in the northern-half of Africa. It originated from Libya. The city was one of many to migrate to celebrate the Thin Moon Festival. During the Green Storm attack on Brighton, Benghazi and Kom Ombo were attacked by tumblers. It is unknown if Benghazi survived this bombardment. Bordeaux-Mobile A French city which specialised in wine making: the upper tiers were covered in vineyards, and in the lower tiers lay great treading, fermenting and bottling bays. Notable also in that while it made tempting prey, few cites tried to eat it - either they were fearful of incurring the wrath of the hunting ground's many wine connoisseurs, or the strong fug of alcohol fumes that follows Bordeaux-Mobile left the pursuers hopelessly intoxicated before they could close the distance. Breidhavik An Ice City mentioned in Predator's Gold where Arkangel is looking for it. Bremen One of the first Traction Cities, and a fierce competitor with London, Paris and Hamsterdam in the resource wars that accompanied the Second Traction Boom. Toward the end of the Traction Era Bremen went back to war, this time as one of the fighting cities of of the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft. Cairo An Egyptian city which roamed the northern half of Africa. It was designed like a pyramid, with a noseless Sphinx on the bow, and had an extensive pipe network that was used when hunting in rainy regions to the far south. Fishcake reassembled the Stalker Fang while hiding in the pipes, scavenging parts from the souks of the lower level. Chidanagaram One of the cities that roamed the southern end of India. Mentioned in Predator's Gold. Cittamotore Described as the fastest Traction City ever built; houses were jammed in between pistons and drive shafts, as the engine district took up 90% of the city's bulk. Did not participate in Municipal Darwinism as it possessed no jaws and constantly drove too fast to maneuver after smaller towns. It was eaten by London around the late 900s TE, after running out of fuel. Darmstadt A German-speaking city seen in A Darkling Plain. It is a member of the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft. During the last battle of the Green Storm war, Darmstadt was bogged down in the Rustwater Marshes while moving into battle against the Green Storm. Likely destroyed by ODIN. Darwin Darwin is an Australian traction city mentioned in the Illustrated World. it prides itself on its adaptability taking its lead from Darwinist principles, regularly reconfiguring itself for all circumstances. For example it may be amphibious one month and have a flying top tier the next. Dortmund A German-speaking quasi-conurbation formed from a group of towns which came together around 1005 TE; by 1012 they were all linked together by bridges and walkways but had yet to form a single larger hull and chassis akin to that of Panzerstadt-Bayreuth. Noted as the only conurbation in the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft, it advanced into the Rustwater Marshes alongside Darmstadt at the end of the war. Destroyed by ODIN. Dun Laoghaire A raft city, Dun Laoghaire was the original hometown of Orla Twombley, who escaped it after her her parents wanted her to take on the family business and get married. It is likely of Irish origin, being named after a real-life suburb of Dublin. Cities E-J Edinburgh A Traction city from Caledon. The original city was destroyed prior to the Traction Era but by 400 TE it had been rebuilt, a few miles south of the original site, under the name Dinburgh. When London mobilized in circa 420 TE, Dinburgh was quick to follow. It became known as a major 'arty' city. It was still mobile, having reverted to its original name, as of Cynthia Twite's parents' migration to Shan Guo. Eisenstadt A city whose ruler held the title of Elector Urbanus. The context of the sole reference to it in Predator's Gold suggests that it traverses the North, in contrast to the real city of Eisenstadt which is in Austria; whatever reason the town might have had for travelling north after mobilizing is left unspoken. Fastitocalon A submarine predator city which preyed on raft towns visiting Palau Pinang. It was either damaged or destroyed by Anna Fang in Night Flights. Gorky A city mentioned briefly at the end of Predator's Gold. Gutak One of the cities that roamed the southern end of India. Mentioned in Predator's Gold. Helsinki An Ice city mentioned in A Darkling Plain, notable as the place where Nimrod Pennyroyal meets Clytie Potts/Cruwys Morchard. Itzal A slave market City mentioned in Predator's Gold. Jaegerstadt Ulm A German City mentioned in Predator's Gold. Widgery Blinkoe's widows, following his death, brought a villa on the upper tiers of Jaegerstadt Ulm. Jagdstadt Magdeburg The target City of Theo Ngoni's failed Tumbler attack in Infernal Devices. Juggernautpur Regarded as a dominant city in the Tractionist portion of the Indian subcontinent. Its secondary name is the "City of Shrines" as its outer flanks and decks were coated with shrines, idols and temples. Cities K-O Khamtchatka General Naga fought against Khamtchatka during his time as a soldier. Kodz A northern Ice City mentioned in Predator's Gold, ruled by a Margrave. Kipperhawk Mentioned in the Traction Codex and Illustrated World as a town that attempted to follow Airhaven in becoming permanently airborne. It can be concluded that Kipperhawk was destroyed at some point before 1000 TE but the exact circumstances by which it met its end are unknown. Kivitoo Mentioned in Predator's Gold, a whaling town that roams about the Northern Ice Wastes on sleds. Was being hunted by Arkangel. Kronstadt Northern Predator which damaged its jaws trying to eat Vyborg in 920 TE. Marseilles A Frankish-speaking raft city, Marseilles was one of the older aquatic Traction towns, having mobilised in the Second Boom and fought against the Zagwan deluge. It is notable in its own eyes and annoyingly to other cities for ramming and destroying the pontoon bridge the Zagwans had built over the Pillars of Hercules. Marseilles was destroyed in 986 TE. The city had planned to invade the Hundred Islands in the Pacific Ocean to exploit the islands' resources and labour but it was sunk by Anti-Tractionist agent Anna Fang. Melbourne An Australian City mentioned in the Traction Codex. Moloch-Maschinenstadt A German-speaking member of the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft. Communication with it was lost when ODIN was fired, indicating that the city was likely destroyed. Motoropolis A city of comparable age to London, originally mobilizing during the Second Boom. It prospered during the middle Traction Era, rising to sixteen tiers, but was hit proportionately hard by the end of the Golden Age. Due to mismanagement of fuel and an ill-conceived final chase, Motoropolis starved in 1007 TE; the abandoned city was observed being devoured by scavenger towns by the crew of the Jenny Haniver during the events of Mortal Engines. Omsk A Russian-speaking city originating from southwestern Siberia. The city was one of many to be destroyed by the Green Storm during the Green Storm War; General Naga lost the use of his legs from injuries he suffered in the Air-Siege of Omsk. Cities P Panjandrum This city's claim to fame was its unusual locomotive system, with the entire residential area suspended in a giant monowheel, fitted with rocket engines to achieve short bursts of extreme speed during chases and suchlike. Although built in the European Hunting Ground, Panjandrum introduced the concept of the Traction City to the Indian subcontinent after accidentally rocketing over a mountain range. Jeremy Levett has confirmed that the name and design of this town were inspired by a historical experimental weapon. Panzerstadt-Breslau A German-speaking city featured in A Darkling Plain. It is part of the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft. Its ultimate fate is unknown, but the city was presumably destroyed by ODIN. Panzerstadt-Koblenz A German-speaking Traction City and member of the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft. During the final battle of the Green Storm War it was presumably destroyed by ODIN. Panzerstadt-Linz Another of the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft members hit by ODIN. The Tractionists blamed its destruction among others on the Green Storm, as they didn't know that the Stalker Fang was controlling ODIN for her own ends. Panzerstadt-Winterthur A city of Swiss origin, ruled by mayor Von Newmann during the Green Storm War. In its sole appearance in A Darkling Plain it is described as an "armoured hulk" performing sentry duty for a Traktionstadtsgesellschaft army. Green Storm forces destroyed the city during the final battle of the war. Perfume Harbour A raft city of oriental origin; it may be based on Hong Kong, whose name translates to "fragrant harbour". It was the site of the Green Storm's attack on the Cygnet Committee during the time Orla Twombley was working aboard the airship. The top of the city is described as a "faeryland" to incoming travellers with hundreds of beautifully maintained pagodas breaking through a cloud layer. The reality is less savoury: the cloud layer is in fact the city's engine exhaust and it smothers the cramped housing district below reducing streets to dank alleyways. It hosted a competitive airship race known as the Austral Air-rally. Perfume Harbour would have appeared in the cancelled graphic novel The Haunted Sky, where Anna Fang and other aviators from around the world gather there for an air race. Perth An Australian City mentioned in the Traction Codex. Prague A city mentioned at the end of Predator's Gold along cities like Gorky, Paris and Manchester. Puerto Angeles A raft city in the Pacific ocean, known for its incredible party atmosphere - so much so that the conga has to be banned by law on the top tier for the sake of the temples. Puerto Angeles places a heavy emphasis on history and possesses extensive historical archives to rival even London's, notable artifacts being the Soapstone of Rio and the complete works of Shakespeare. Katherine Valentine lived with her mother in Puerto Angeles for the first part of her life; when her mother died Katherine subsequently moved to London to live with her father. Puerto Angeles declared neutrality when the Green Storm War began, but it took severe damage during the Battle of the Bay of Bengal; this was a result of Green Storm aviators mistaking it for Perfume Harbour. Puerto Angeles was finally destroyed by Green Storm hydrofoils a few months after this battle, sinking in the Sulu Sea. Cities Q-S Ragnaroll A northern Ice City. No detail is revealed in its single mention in Predator's Gold but it is apparently a significant enough predator to be mentioned in the same breath as Arkangel. Reykjavík A raft city mentioned in Predator's Gold. It is speculated that its library once held a map of the American coastal region known as Vineland, which was stolen by the Lost Boys before ending up in Anchorage. The raft city is also known as the birthplace of the air pirate Red Loki who burned a considerable part of it with his airship, the Anger Management Issues. in 998 TE it beached itself for repairs and was eaten by Wolverinehampton. Rostock An early traction city which later merged with the remnants of the Arkhangelsk nomad empire to become Arkangel. San Juan de los Motores/St Jean les Quatre-Mille Chevaux Once a single city renowned for its restaurants that split apart after a civil war broke out from debates over the correct way to serve steak; the two cities maintain a bitter rivalry. San Juan is known for its tapas. St Jean is the pickier of the two, often found chasing prey that has a supply of a specific ingredient its chefs can use, and is ruled by culinary dynasties whose status is denoted by the size of their chef's hats. Shuddersfield A City with a newspaper called the "Shuddersfield Gazette" mentioned by Nimrod Pennyroyal in Predator's Gold. Stamboul Probably a raft city. Produces expensive rugs, one of which is in the possession of Gargle. Sydney A traction city that roams the deserts of Australia. It is described as having the Sydney Opera House balanced on the top tier at a 'jaunty angle'. Another interesting feature, apparently shared with other Australian land-traction cities, is a collection of giant corks hanging by chains from the edges of its tiers, allegedly to swat off Anti-Tractionist airships that reside in the Blue Mountains. It was set to appear in The Haunted Sky, where aviators from across the globe would travel there in order to participate in an airship race. Cities T-Z Traktionbad Braunschweig A German-speaking city and a member of the Traktionstadtsgesellschaft. Traktiongrad Another victim of the Green Storm War; General Naga raised the Green Storm banner over the wreck of this Traction City. From the name it can be assumed it is of Russian origin. Traktiongrad Smolensk A Traction City mentioned in Infernal Devices. It originated from Russia. Traktionstadt-Weimar A German-speaking city that appears in A Darkling Plain. The Traktionstadtsgesellschaft was created when Burgomaster Krause, the ruler of the city during the beginning of the Green Storm War, contacted a dozen other cities about fighting to preserve the Tractionist lifestyle. It survived until the end of the war but naturally was a prime target for The Stalker Fang and in the final battle it was destroyed by ODIN. Ulp One of the first Traction Cities, Ulp was originally a small town. Ulp earned great distinction among Tractionists for its contributions in the war against the Zagwans. The city would eventually call the 'Great Diet' in TE 520, a month-long conference between the great Cities of the time that would set out the basic principles of the modern Municipal Darwinism system. Ulp was the first City to be devoured under these new rules, finally being caught and consumed by London after a two-week chase that concluded when Ulp's engines melted. Wantage A City with a newspaper called the "Wantage Weekly Waffle" mentioned by Nimrod Pennyroyal in Predator's Gold. Xanne-Sandansky Originated in the Blagoevgrad Province in south-western Bulgaria. During the Green Storm War, the city became another of General Naga's conquests, though he lost an arm in the fighting. Xanne-Sandansky is best known as the eater of Borsanski-Novi, a catch so crammed with spare parts and useful machined goods that its Gut bosses had a spring in their step for months thereafter. Zanzibar Another predator city which roams the deserts of northern Africa. Zeestadt Gdansk A raft city which was Caul's first robbery job as a Lost Boy. Interestingly, while its name includes the Germanic descriptor "Zeestadt", it bears the modern Polish name of the port city "Gdańsk" rather than the historical German name "Danzig". Zimbra A traction City mentioned by Hester in Predator's Gold. Smaller Traction Towns A-P Crawley One of the former suburbs of London; like many suburbs it ended up abandoning its parent striking out on its own, but didn't become a pirate town like its sibling Tunbridge Wheels. It was eventually eaten by Motoropolis in 867 TE after coming to a sudden halt - not because it ran out of fuel, but because the entire population was murdered by unknown assailants. Cutler's Gulp A scavenger town that roamed the desert. In A Darkling Plain, Theo Ngoni is captured by the town and put to work in the Gut. He is soon freed by Shrike and Hester. Dalkey A shabby raft town which was built in the north but made its way down to the Hundred Islands where it traded with Palau Pinang. El Houl A scavenger-platform which appears in A Darkling Plain when it is seen eating the wreckage of Cloud Nine. Hester kills the sheikh of El Houl and buys a sand-ship before fleeing into the desert with Shrike. Evercreech A harvester suburb mentioned in A Darkling Plain. It helped its parent city Manchester fight the Green Storm along side fellow suburb Werwolf; it is unknown whether or not it survived the final battle of the war. Holt A harvester town mentioned in A Darkling Plain. Kipperhawk Mentioned in the Traction Codex and Illustrated World as a town that attempted to follow Airhaven in becoming airborne. It is stated that Kipperhawk was destroyed at some point before 1000 TE due to drifting into volcanic ash-clouds, fighting between Anti-Tractionist and Tractionist Aviators that resulted in fires, or crashing for other unspecified reasons. Pacifica A predator which crawls around on the seabed, searching for smaller submarine towns. It was mentioned on the Philip Reeve site in A brief history of Municipal Darwinism. Purley Spokes A suburb of London mentioned in Mortal Engines. Tom noted the similarity in design between Purley Spokes and Tunbridge Wheels. Its name is a parody of an area of real London (Purley Oaks) Smaller Traction Towns Q-Z Quirke-le-Dieu A harvester town mentioned in A Darkling Plain. Skraelingshaven A northern Ice Town mentioned in Predator's Gold. When discussing the danger posed to Anchorage by extreme weather, Windolene Pye brought up the example of Skraelingshaven which was destroyed when it was flipped over in a storm. Stratosphereham A former airborne town mentioned in the Traction Codex and IWoME. Like Kipperhawk it was destroyed before 1000 TE. Strole A Scavenger Platform that roams the Great Hunting Ground, mentioned in Mortal Engines. When Shrike rescued and adopted Hester, they lived together aboard Strole. When Shrike and Hester were separated, Hester left Strole under unknown circumstances, eventually ending up aboard Salthook. Chrysler Peavey's own Scavenger town had encountered Strole a few times, before Tunbridge Wheels ate the latter. Swindon A small fat-mining town that mobilised presumably in the third traction boom. Like other fat miners the town scooped up a large fatberg and used it as a source of fuel, illumination oil and particularly lubricant to slide along the ground. It is unknown what happened to Swindon when fatbergs were mined to extinction but it is presumed eaten or now static. The rather disgusting notion of a town with a giant lump of fat as its most interesting feature is likely a joking reference to the real town of that name's less than stellar reputation in the rest of England. Twyne A traction town mentioned in In the Bleak Midwinter. The government of Twyne hired Shrike and Hester to hunt a bank robber. Vyborg A northern town whose middle and upper levels were wrapped in a Pykrete shell. This kept it insulated from harsh winter weather and broke the jaws of predators that caught up to it, but Vyborg was destroyed when it eventually thawed. Wagenhafn A small industrial town which claims a long history, from a pre-Sixty Minute War manufacturing facility through the era of the nomad empires to becoming a Traction town during the Second Traction Boom. The bugs produced by this town are highly sought after and favoured as a status symbol abroad larger towns and cities. Werwolf A harvester suburb mentioned in A Darkling Plain. It aided Manchester in its attack on the Green Storm alongside fellow suburb Evercreech and its fate is also ambiguous. Category:Traction cities